Microbial sulfur geochemistry in acid environments

加拿大在促进环境可持续采矿做法的采矿和矿产勘探及相关技术方面处于世界领先地位。然而，AMD仍然是加拿大一个严重且日益严重的水质问题。微生物广泛存在于水环境系统中，影响着许多重要的地球化学过程。这项研究将开展首批现场评价微生物S地球化学的综合监测项目之一。将在季节和年度尺度上，在环境特征条件下对综合絮体S的地球化学和微生物群落进行调查。现场结果将捕捉到这些因素在一个关键的、研究较少的水族舱-悬浮絮凝物中的协同作用，提供了一个更现实和必要的关于酸性矿井水中微生物驱动的S氧化和产酸的地图。配套的实验室实验将描述研究较少的、与微生物相关的和常见的矿山环境因素，如Fe(III)和NO3-，作为微生物絮体S地球化学的驱动因素。拟议研究的短期目标将明确限制悬浮絮体作为参与产酸的活性微生物隔间的作用，限制细菌驱动的产酸在季节性和年度时间尺度上的大小，并在酸性矿山系统中就地评估S酸性硫杆菌絮体的生态多样性。这项研究将产生(1)对AMD产生的关键过程的新的基本理解，(2)为更准确的监测和监测计划提供新的诊断指标，以及(3)改善加拿大人的健康和生活质量的缓解和生物修复的新战略。这一跨学科领域和实验室计划将培训3名博士和最多5名本科生HQP，掌握尖端的环境、地球化学和微生物学技术。

Canada is a world leader in mining and mineral exploration and associated technologies to promote environmentally sustainable mining practises. However AMD remains a significant and growing Canadian water quality issue. Microorganisms are widespread across aquatic environmental systems where they affect many important geochemical processes. The proposed research will carry out one of the first comprehensive monitoring programs evaluating microbial S geochemistry in situ. Integrated floc S geochemistry and microbial community will be investigated under environmentally characterized conditions over seasonal and annual scales. Field results will capture the synergistic interactions amongst these factors in a key and poorly studied aquatic compartment, suspended floc, providing a more realistic and necessary map of microbially driven S oxidation and acid generation in acidic mine waters. Companion laboratory experiments will delineate the roles of poorly studied, microbially relevant and common mine environmental factors such as Fe(III) and NO3- as drivers for microbial floc S geochemistry. The short term goals of the proposed research will specifically constrain the role of suspended floc as a reactive microbial compartment involved in acid generation, the magnitude of bacterially driven acid generation over seasonal and annual timescales, and evaluate the ecological diversity of Acidithiobacilli floc S geochemistry in situ in acid mine systems. This research will generate (1) new fundamental understanding of key processes involved in AMD generation (2) new diagnostic indicators for more accurate surveillance and monitoring programs and (3) new strategies for mitigation and bioremediation improving the health and quality of life for Canadians. This interdisciplinary field and laboratory program will train 3 PhD and up to 5 undergraduate HQP in leading edge environmental geochemical and microbiological techniques.